


Kayak is a Palindrome

by Jackdaw816



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Disney References, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Established Gabriel/Sam Winchester, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, it's basically just sabriel being cute boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 22:24:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15672486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackdaw816/pseuds/Jackdaw816
Summary: Sabriel goes kayaking. Fluff ensues.





	Kayak is a Palindrome

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a kayaking trip I went on with my friend. I started writing it the same day. Now a month and a half later, I'm finally done.
> 
> Update: 8/27/18, I added in a shit ton of commas that I missed and fixed my wet/dry bag mistake. God, I feel like a fucking idiot about that one.

 “So, what do you think about kayaking?” Sam asked. They were lying on the couch, Gabriel curled around Sam like an overgrown ferret, his head resting on Sam’s chest.

“Kayaking in general, or kayaking in relation to us?” Gabriel asked, never taking his gaze off of the movie. Sam laughed, Gabriel able to feel his chest shake. Sam grabbed the remote and paused the movie. Gabriel made a disgruntled noise and looked up at Sam.

“I mean, do you want to go kayaking with me? I have a friend that I store my kayak with, and I know that she’ll let me borrow an extra if I want,” Sam explained. Gabriel shifted a little, still sitting close to Sam, but no longer entwined with him.

“Sure, if you want to, I’m in.” Gabriel said. “Hey, does this mean we can screw in the forest like you wanted to, Sammy?” Sam blushed and hit Gabriel with a pillow. Gabriel fell back on the couch laughing.

“That was your idea, you little shit,” Sam hissed, the shock of the idea wearing off. Gabriel looked up at him, a shit-eating grin starting to form.

“So, that’s a maybe?” Gabriel asked innocently. Sam growled, actually growled, and pounced. Perks of being intimate almost nightly? You know exactly where your lover is ticklish.

 

***

 

Two days later, after a stop to pick up the kayaks, the couple was on their way to the lake. Sam had to fold down the passenger seat to fit the kayaks, so Gabriel was stuck in the seat behind him. The ride was filled with amiable talk. Gabriel even kept his complaints about the radio to a minimum.  They put their phones in a special dry bag that they stored in Sam’s kayak.

Sam pulled into the parking lot near the dock. The two men climbed out of the car and popped the trunk. They slipped off their shoes and then tossed them in the car. Barefoot on the hot pavement, Gabriel was anxious to get moving. He grabbed the life jackets and oars while Sam hoisted the smaller kayak over his shoulders.

“Damn, Sam. You don’t have to impress me, I’m already dating you,” Gabriel said. Sam laughed.

“This is a lot lighter that it looks. A freshman could carry it as easily as I can,” Sam explained. He turned around and looked at Gabriel. “Do you wanna get this one while I get mine?” Gabriel nodded, unwilling to back down from a challenge. He set the oars and life jackets down on the grass. Sam lifted the kayak off of his shoulders and on to his lover’s. Gabriel tensed, expecting a weight much heavier than what was laid on his shoulders.

“Wow, Sammy, you weren’t kidding,” Gabriel remarked before heading down to the lake, the kayak barely slowing him down. He settled the kayak in the water and headed back to get the life jackets and oars. By the time he came back down, Sam had put his kayak in the water.

“Toss me my life jacket, Gabe,” Sam called. Gabriel threw Sam his jacket and slipped his own on. He tightened the straps and frowned at the fit. He looked up at Sam. Of course his life jacket fit him like it was custom-made.

“It was custom-made, babe,” Sam replied. Gabriel blushed, embarrassed that he said it aloud. “And you look fine. Life jackets aren’t supposed to be fashionable, they’re supposed to keep you from drowning.” Sam grabbed the red oar and tossed it to his partner. Gabriel caught it with ease.

“I know, but would it kill them to make it a little more appealing?” Gabriel grumbled as he started to climb into his kayak. Sam was already fully-seated and started to paddle out.

“Better hurry up, sweetie,” Sam teased, his tone sickly sweet as he looked back to see Gabriel still on land. Gabriel frowned and shifted his body weight to get the kayak in the water. He paddled fast, the strokes more or less even as he headed towards Sam. The kayak was rocking, but Gabriel charted that up to it being a boat.

“Wait up!” Gabriel called. Sam stopped, but Gabriel didn’t notice. He looked up and shoved one end of the oar in the water. Gabriel’s kayak turned in the nick of time. The kayaks rubbed against each other, but didn’t tip.

“Careful,” Sam said. “This _is_ a no-swimming lake.” Gabriel laughed and started to paddle away. He needed any head start that he could get. His efforts were for naught as Sam caught up to him and passed him in less than a minute.

“No fair,” Gabriel mumbled before working harder. It was very hard to stay straight in a kayak and Gabriel was finding that out with every stroke. Sam started drifting and waiting for Gabriel to catch up. The dock was out of sight now and forest lined the sides of the lake. There was a path visible through the trees and some people were fishing, but it was still very secluded.

Gabriel rowed hard, correcting his aim the best he could. After a minute, he was within talking range of Sam again.

“You got it.” Sam called, the pair drifting toward land and toward each other.

“Doesn’t feel like it.” Gabriel complained. He adjusted his seating and felt the kayak sway. “Are all boats this shaky?” Sam laughed, his laughter shaking his own kayak.

“Small boats are usually less stable. Don’t worry about it,” Sam explained. The pair started paddling again. “Do you want to head into shore for a minute?” Gabriel nodded.

“Sure, but don’t trust me to get back in the water again. I prefer my feet on solid ground,” Gabriel said with a smile. Sam turned his kayak and headed toward a small and muddy beach. Gabriel followed him and noticed how small it was. The trees cut the small stretch off at about twenty feet. As they paddled in closer, the stench of rotting vegetation grew stronger.

“Try to avoid the weeds. We don’t need to lose a paddle to the lake,” Sam said. He maneuvered his kayak well, avoiding the majority of the weeds. Gabriel paddled straight through. It was easier than redirecting the kayak every three seconds. Sam noticed his tactic and smiled back at him. The weeds snagged on the oar, but came loose with a little effort.

“These weeds are nothing. Remind me to show you the powerful stuff.” Gabriel joked. Sam pulled his kayak into shore, the bottom wedging in the mud. He turned around and watched as Gabriel attempted to do the same.

“After that last trip? I’m not trusting anything that you give me, especially if it comes from Balthazar,” Sam said. Gabriel started to protest, but Sam cut him off.

“I know he’s your cousin, but let’s be honest. He’s a shit dealer,” Sam deadpanned.  Gabriel made a noise and pushed his boat up beside Sam.

“Whatever. I’m just mad that I can’t kiss you right now,” Gabriel said, motioning at the distance between them. Sam smiled and lifted his paddle. He stretched one end out toward Gabriel and bumped the side of his kayak.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have all the time in the world to kiss later. Unfortunately, Charlie wants the kayaks back by 5, so let’s not waste time,” Sam said. Gabriel bumped his own paddle against Sam’s kayak and looked up the bank.

“Hey, Samshine, is that a tennis ball?” Gabriel asked. Sam followed Gabriel’s gaze and spotted it as well.

“Yeah, it is. Someone must have lost it while walking their dog awhile ago.” Sam glanced at Gabriel. “I’ll give you a dollar if you go get it,” Sam dared. Gabriel grinned.

“I’d rather have a kiss, but you’re on.” Gabriel balanced the paddle across the kayak and swung a leg over the side. The kayak bobbed, but didn’t drift. Carefully, Gabriel shifted his weight and planted a bare foot in the mud.

“Oh, this is so gross!” Gabriel hissed. He climbed completely out of the kayak and stood ankle-deep in the lake. He could feel weeds flickering against his feet, giving him a couple seconds of panic each time. He moved hesitation, wanting to get back into the relative safety of the kayak as quick as possible.

The shore was  as muddy as the lake and Gabriel could see the mud squelching up around his feet. He glanced back at Sam who was unapologetically staring at Gabriel’s ass. Gabriel stuck his tongue out at Sam and grabbed the tennis ball. Luckily, the tennis ball was dry, if not a little dirty. Gabriel turned around and headed back to the kayak.

“Catch, Sammy!” Gabriel said, chucking the ball at his boyfriend’s head, you know, out of love. Despite the impressive speed it reached, Sam caught it with ease.

“Enjoying the mud?” Sam teased, dropping the ball in the kayak. Gabriel was back in the water now, his kayak within arm’s reach.

“Enjoying the view?” Gabriel retorted, shimmying his ass before climbing in the kayak. As Sam laughed at his display, Gabriel hung his legs over the edge of the kayak, washing the mud off. His feet dripping wet, but free of mud, he resettled himself in the kayak. Sam had started to paddle out, each stroke only pushing him a couple of inches in the shallow water.

“Absolutely,” Sam said before turning his kayak and paddling out as fast as possible. Gabriel let out an undignified squawk and started paddling as well. The paddle scraped the lake bottom with every stroke. He managed to turn around, only to spot Sam in the distance, a moosey dot on the horizon.

“You son of a bitch, GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!” Gabriel yelled, the sound echoing across the lake. Luckily, no one was close enough to scold him, though he could tell by the turned heads that more than Sam had heard him. He saw Sam throw back his head in laughter, but he didn’t make a move to row toward Gabriel.

“You absolute walnut,” Gabriel murmured under his breath as he slowly made his way out to Sam. Once he got out into open water, he rowed faster, the kayak wobbling with every stroke. As he got closer to Sam, Sam looked at Gabriel’s kayak, concerned.

“Your kayak is shaking more than usual. Are you distributing your weight evenly?” Sam asked.

“Maybe? I don’t know. I’ll try to readjust,” Gabriel said, shifting his weight around until it felt like he was sitting level to the water. “Better?” he asked. Sam gave the kayak a once over.

“A little. You might be a little heavy for it.” Gabriel glared at Sam. Sam backpedaled quickly. “I mean, Charlie got that one made for her and she’s tiny.”

“Fine,” Gabriel mumbled. He darted his head up and looked at Sam. “You got the tennis ball?” he asked eagerly. Sam reached into the kayak and pulled it out.

“Here, catch!” Sam said, tossing the ball at Gabriel. Gabriel put out his hand, but Sam misjudged his strength and the ball went sailing over Gabriel’s head.

“Thanks,” Gabriel said sarcastically. He turned his kayak and started heading for the ball, Sam following after him.

“It’s not my fault that you’re short,” Sam said. Gabriel reached the ball and scooped it out of the water. He turned the kayak and whipped the wet ball at Sam’s chest. It struck Sam’s life jacket and bounced into the water. Sam glared at him and Gabriel smirked.

“And it’s not my fault that you’re tall,” Gabriel retorted. Sam reached for the ball, but missed, forcing him to turn his kayak to try again. Gabriel paddled in and scooped it up easily. They threw and caught the ball several more times, missing as many as they caught. Every time it fell in the water, Gabriel was the one to retrieve it. Sam tried, but he couldn’t seem to pull it out without almost tipping. After the fifth time, Sam gave up.

“How are you picking that up so easily?” Sam said, throwing his hands up in protest. Gabriel smiled.

“I dunno, luck? Talent? All I know is that you aren’t exactly graceful with those moosey paws of yours,” Gabriel said, tossing the ball at his lover. Sam fumbled a little, but caught it in the end.

“I am plenty graceful,” Sam complained, his kayak pulling up next to Gabriel’s. That was a mistake. His next mistake was lifting his paddle up and poking Gabriel with it. The paddle hit Gabriel’s chest and sent him swaying. He reacted, shifting away from the blow. Unfortunately, all that did was tilt his kayak even more.

As the kayak tipped over, Gabriel could hear Sam shouting. He tightened his grip on the paddle and held his breath. He was only underwater for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Gabriel’s head broke the surface, his hair falling in his eyes. His feet kicked at the water desperately, despite the life jacket keeping him afloat.

“Shit, Gabe, are you okay?” Sam said, trying to resist the urge to jump in and help. The kayak was overturned and taking in water, so Gabriel didn’t answer right away. He focused on getting the kayak upright. Once the kayak was no longer in danger of sinking, Gabriel sighed in relief.

“I’m fine, Samsquatch. Just extremely wet,” Gabriel said, moving the kayak out of his face and gazing into his lover’s eyes.

“Here, pass the paddle to me, and try to climb back in,” Sam said. Gabriel moved his arm, trying to defy gravity and lift the paddle up to his boyfriend. Sam grabbed the paddle and pulled it up with only a little effort on Gabriel’s part. That was good because now Gabriel faced the task of climbing back in the kayak.

“So, Sammy, what’s the best way to get back in without swamping it?” Gabriel asked, unwilling to be the ruiner of this trip. Sam balanced the paddles on his lap before responding.

“Try to pull yourself onto the front,” Sam instructed. “I’ll hold the back down. That should keep it balanced.” As Sam spoke, he shifted the kayak so that he could do just that. Gabriel grabbed onto the front and drifted with it.

“Okay, that makes sense. You ready?” Gabriel asked. Sam nodded. Gabriel grabbed on the kayak and hauled himself up with all his might. Which to be honest, wasn’t very much. He had his top half bent over the kayak, most of his legs still in the water. He tried to move further up on the kayak with an ungraceful shimmy. The blue plastic was slick, and Gabriel felt himself sliding off of it.

“Shit,” Sam whispered as Gabriel fell back into the lake. He bobbed up and spat out some water.

“Got a plan B?” Gabriel asked cheerfully, although clearly disgruntled from the failure. Sam rubbed his hand over his face.

“Yeah, I think I do,” Sam said. “We’re pretty close to shore. If you grab onto my kayak with one hand and hang onto yours with the other, I can tow you back.”

“So you’re going to drag me through the lake?” Gabriel asked. Sam nodded.

“Yeah. Unless you have a better idea?” Sam said. Gabriel sighed. Whatever got him out of the water and dry.

“No. Let’s do it,” Gabriel said firmly. There was a loop of black waterproof fabric attached to the front of the kayak. Gabriel slipped his wrist through it. Sam had turned his kayak toward shore, moving with caution, so that he didn't drop the extra paddle in the lake. The back of Sam’s kayak had the same loop, and Gabriel grabbed it with his other hand.

“Ready to go?” Sam asked, attempting to crane his head and look behind him. Gabriel gave himself a once-over.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Come on, Sven, haul me back.” Gabriel teased. Sam sighed, but started rowing. About 30 seconds into their journey, Sam murmured something that Gabriel didn’t catch.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Gabriel asked in a tone that said that he knew exactly what Sam had said.

“I said that Sven wasn’t a moose, he was a reindeer, and you know that, you little shit. You did make me watch that movie about a dozen times,” Sam complained.

“Jonathan Groff is a queen, and I would definitely smash that,” Gabriel said, somehow sounding dignified despite his lewd words and unfortunate position. Sam huffed and ‘accidentally’ splashed Gabriel on his next stroke.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, babe.” Sam said, the sarcasm heavy in his voice. Gabriel laughed.

“Don’t worry, you can come too, Sammy.” The next splash was very much intentional.

“Careful, or I might just leave you here,” Sam warned. “That’d be one way to get your attention.” The bank was getting closer, they were about two minutes away from shore. Gabriel grinned and raised an eyebrow.

“That’s not the only way to-WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?!” Gabriel shrieked, drawing his legs up to his chest. Sam looked over the edge and laughed.

“They’re only weeds, Gabriel,” Sam reassured. “You’ll be fine.” Gabriel shuddered.

“This is so gross. And don’t complain about my bitching because if you were in my position, you’d be bitching too,” Gabriel bitched. Sam laughed.

“Don’t worry, I understand your plight. You think I haven’t tipped a kayak or two? The lake is gross and that’s why we stay in the boat,.” Sam teased.  Gabriel frowned.

“I was trying to stay in the kayak, Sama-lama. I think mine’s defective,” Gabriel said, trying to push the blame onto the kayak and off of himself. Sam paused and actually considered it.

“It might be. I’ll check it out when we get to shore.” Sam looked out and over the water. “Hey, can you touch the bottom yet?” Sam asked. Gabriel stretched his legs out into the deep.

“Almost,” Gabriel said, feeling his toes brush against the muck. “Why, tired of me already?”

“Nah, I’ll never be tired of you.” Sam said sweetly. “But, honestly, you’re kinda heavy.” he admitted. Gabriel sighed.

“Eh, that’s fair. All the candy has to go somewhere,” Gabriel said. He tried to stand again and was pleased that this time his feet touched the lake bottom. He slipped his hand out of the loop on Sam’s kayak and started to dog paddle. Sam hit shore and climbed out of his kayak. He waded in ankle-deep while Gabriel started to emerge from the water.

“Here,” Sam said, reaching for the kayak. “I’ll pull it onshore so we can drain it.” Gabriel gratefully passed the kayak to Sam and followed him out of the water.

“I shouldn’t be tired considering that you pulled me most of the way to shore, but I am so tired,” Gabriel whined as he stepped onto semi-dry land. Sam laughed and flipped over Gabriel’s kayak again, intentionally this time.

“Don’t worry, I don’t blame you,” Sam said, running his hand along the bottom of the boat, feeling for the drain. “It was kind of fun.” Sam’s fingers landed on the drain and pulled the plug.

“Oh really?” Gabriel said with a smirk. Sam stood from where he was crouching and walked over to Gabriel. He grabbed Gabriel’s hands and smiled.

“Yeah.” Sam leaned in to kiss Gabriel, snaking one of his hands into Gabriel’s wet hair. Sam opened his mouth and recoiled. He took a step backward and spat on the ground.

“Babe, no offense, but that was disgusting. You taste like lake water,” Sam said, starting to laugh it off.

“And that’s what you get for tipping me in the lake.” Gabriel said with an all-knowing smirk. Sam looked up and into Gabriel’s eyes.

“You son of a bitch, you did that on purpose,” Sam said. He stood in stunned silence for a second before laughing hard. Gabriel joined in, their laughter the only human sound within earshot. The laughter petered out after a minute and Sam sighed.

“We should get a move on.” He pointed out. “I’ll get your kayak drained and ready. Why don’t you go stand in the sun and try to dry off?” Gabriel smiled.

“I will gladly laze around while you do the heavy lifting,” Gabriel teased. “We should do this more often,” he remarked before wandering uphill and into the sun. Sam sighed and turned back to the kayak.

“It’s like dating a cat,” Sam mumbled to himself as he got to work. Very little of the water had drained out when he had opened the drain earlier. Time to use a little physics. Sam moved to the front of the kayak and wrapped his hand in the loop. With a grunt, he lifted the front half of the kayak. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at the water that came flowing out of the bottom. He stood there for a minute, shaking the kayak to get the last drops of water out.

“There we go,” Sam murmured as he set the kayak down. He winced as he stepped in the puddle formed by the kayak and resealed the drain. Looping his hand in the front strap, Sam turned the kayak around and dragged it back into the water. He flipped his own kayak around and set Gabriel’s oar back on his kayak.

Sam started to walk to Gabriel, but paused. He reached back into his kayak and pulled out the tennis ball.  Sam only hesitated for a second before chucking it into the woods. That ball had caused more trouble than it was worth. Sam walked uphill and paused. Gabriel had found a grassy spot and had stretched out in the sun. He opened his eyes and smiled.

“Come join me, Samshine,” Gabriel said with a smile. “The sun feels great.” Gabriel stretched his arms above his head, causing his shirt to ride up. Sam smiled and laid down beside Gabriel.

“It does, doesn't it,” Sam said, looking up at the sky. He started to laugh quietly. Gabriel sat up with one arm and leaned toward Sam.

“What’s so funny?” Gabriel asked. Sam sat up and rubbed a hand over his jaw.

“Nothing,” Sam hesitated for a moment before continuing.  It’s that we’re grown men and we’re lying in a sunny patch of grass in the middle of the woods. Imagine what we must look like,” Sam said, laughing between words. Gabriel joined in laughing. The laughter petered out after a minute, and they sat in comfortable silence.

“Well, I think I’m dry enough.” Gabriel said, standing up and stretching. He offered a hand to Sam who took it and pulled himself up. Gabriel was proud to say that he only stumbled a bit.

“Yeah, we’d better get moving. We’ll need to return Charlie’s kayak before we meet up with Dean and Cas,” Sam said, setting a steady pace as they walked back to the kayaks. Gabriel let out a groan.

“Do we have to? I love Cassie and your brother, but I don’t love their PDA. We get it,  you’re in love,” Gabriel griped. Sam laughed.

“We have to go, Gabriel. Cas has been trying to find a time that works for months. We haven’t seen them since their wedding,” Sam said as they stepped onto the beach. Gabriel sighed, but smiled anyway.

“Fine. At least they have the good booze.” Gabriel stepped into the shallow water and grimaced. “And a nice clean pool.” Sam tossed Gabriel his paddle, and he caught it with ease. The pair climbed into their respective kayaks and set out. They were a minute into their journey back to the dock when Sam spoke up.

“You know I’m going to have to tell Dean and Cas about this right?” Sam teased. Gabriel let out a groan and started to protest.

“Sammy, you can’t! Dean will never let me live it down,” Gabriel said. “And it’s your fault anyway. I would have never tipped if you hadn’t hit me with your paddle.” Sam said nothing for a moment.

“Let us never speak of this again.”

“Agreed.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to yell at me in the comments.
> 
> I'm on Tumblr as @shejustcalledmeafish, so come pay me a visit!


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